Despite some claims by elected officials and letter writers, COVID-19 vaccines are not experimental, and it is dangerous to label them as such. According to exhaustive research by Reuters news service, the vaccines have been tested extensively on animals and humans and met other requirements before being given emergency approval by the CDC. The approval is on an emergency basis because the timeline was compressed — animal and human tests being conducted simultaneously, for example — but they are not experimental. Full non-emergency approval can follow.
To claim that they are experimental is unconscionable, as it may lead some people to avoid being vaccinated, which can be a matter of life or death. Currently, over 97 percent of persons contracting COVID are unvaccinated — providing great empirical evidence as to the vaccines’ effectiveness.
